The NEW spot for Southside's Thoughts for the Day as penned by our pastor Herbert Botts
Monday, May 6, 2024
Yielding to Love
Monday, December 5, 2022
Check In and Listen
Wednesday, January 6, 2021
Love Takes Surrender
Tuesday, August 18, 2020
Hearing Beyond The Tech
It took God three attempts before He got young Samuel's attention. Hmm!
Smartphones, I-Pads, ZOOM, Facetime, Facebook, and other apps, all designed to keep us connected, up to date, and well informed. We spend so much time with technology and communicating via technology, we have lost the art of casual, intimate conversation and relationship where listening takes place. Technology has not really made life simpler, it has only sped it up. We’re so ‘wired’ we no longer know how to slow down and catch our breath and actually catch up with one another, especially God. This is not to say technology is a bad thing, particularly in light of the current pandemic climate, but we must remember God was communicating long before technology came into being. So, no matter how technologically advanced we become, the intimacy we seek with God and others will always be up close and personal.
Until tomorrow…….
Pastor Botts
“Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.” –Revelation 3:20
Tuesday, June 5, 2018
How Am I Doing?
Monday, November 2, 2015
Surrender to Love
Christianity is not the act of man finally submitting to the power of God, but rather man fully surrendering to the love of God. – W. Barclay
Peter thought he loved Jesus until that fateful night. After that he really learned what love meant. AMEN!
“Stubborn!, Obstinate!, Hard-headed!” All adjectives that have possibly been applied to us sometime in our life. Those situations where we were unwilling to bend or submit for another. It’s actually a carryover from our infancy when we were shaping our personality. Unfortunately, this type of thinking is often what keeps us separated from God. We think He wants us to ‘knuckle under’ His all encompassing power and we refuse to give ourselves up. Actually, all God wants to do is love us, but for that it takes surrender. God never forces himself on anyone, but anyone who has truly found Him often wonders what took them so long to surrender.
Until tomorrow…..
Pastor Botts
“If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.” – Revelation 3:20
Friday, September 25, 2015
Listen intimately
We are drowning in communication technology, but still have not perfected the art of listening. - Anon
It took God three attempts before He got young Samuel's attention. Hmm!
Smartphones, I-Pad/IPOD, PDA’s, Bluetooth technology, Wi-Fi technology, etc., all designed to keep us connected, up to date, and well informed. We spend so much time with technology and communicating via technology, we have lost the art of casual, intimate conversation and relationship where listening takes place. Technology has not really made life simpler, it has only sped it up. We’re so ‘wired’ we no longer know how to slow down and catch our breath and actually catch up with one another, especially God. This is not to say technology is a bad thing, but we must remember God was communicating long before technology came into being. So, no matter how technologically advanced we become the intimacy we seek with God and others will always be one on one, face to face.
Until Monday…….
Pastor Botts
“Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.” – Revelation 3:20
Thursday, December 11, 2014
How Are You Doing?
Feedback is the breakfast of champions. – B. Hybels
Jesus once asked his disciples ‘who do you say that I am?’ to make sure they were getting the message he was conveying. Peter knew the answer. AMEN!
Product surveys, town-hall meetings, suggestion boxes, etc. – what do they all have in common – they are ways people solicit feedback to see how they are doing and what they can do better. They go directly to the source – you. Jesus did it often with his Father as an example for us to follow. The best way to ensure we’re carrying out God’s plan and not our own is to check with Him often and take time to listen to what He says. He’s already assured us in His book of the victory.
Until tomorrow…..
Pastor Botts
“Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.” – Revelation 3:20




